Ignition generator



Dec. 3, 1957 Filed May 6, 1952 s. E. MILLER 2,815,394

INVENTOR. SIDNEY E. I HLLI'JE BY f ATT NEY- Dec. 3, 1957 s. E. MILLER 2,815,394.

IGNITION GENERATOR' V Filed May 6, 19 52 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. SIDNEY E. MILLER i fy/4%;

United States Patent IGNITION GENERATOR Sidney E. Miller, Suflield, Conn., assignor to American Bosch Arma Corporation, a corporation of New York Application May 6, 1952, Serial No. 286,393

4 Claims. (Cl. 123-149) This invention relates to ignition generators and has particular reference to a new and improved generator of the breakerless type, but wherein breakers are employed at cranking speeds.

An object of the invention is to provide new and improved means whereby the breakers of an ignition generator may be adjusted into or out of operative position at will.

Another object is to provide an ignition generator having automatically operated breaker retracting mechanism.

Another object of the invention is to provide an apparatus for such adjustment of the breakers which apparatus is relatively simple and economical in construction, yet efficient and positive in operation.

Another object is to provide a new and improved breaker mechanism for ignition generators.

Another object is to provide a new and improved ignition generator embodying a breaker adjusting mechanism whereby the breakers may be moved into or out of operative relation.

Another object is to provide a new and improved ignition generator which is capable of obtaining all of the advantages of the breakerless type and which is also capable of obtaining the advantages of breakers at cranking speeds.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings. It will be understood that changes may be made in the details of construction and arrangements of parts shown and described without departing from the scope of the invention as set forth in the accompanying claims, as the preferred form has been given by way of illustration only.

Referring to the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of an ignition generator embodying the invention;

Fig. 2 is an end view thereof, with a portion of the cover removed to show the breaker mechanism; and

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary view of the arrangement shown in Fig. 2, but on an enlarged scale.

Referring more particularly to the drawings wherein similar reference characters designate corresponding parts throughout, the ignition generator shown embodying the invention comprises the end plate 1 on the drive end and the end plate 2 on the breaker end, the magnet rotor assembly 3 and the laminated stator assembly 4.

The rotor 3 is adapted to be driven by the shaft 5 which is journalled in the bearings 6 and 7 and which has an extension 8 for actuating the breaker mechanism, as hereinafter described.

On the shaft extension 8 is the breaker actuating cam 9 which is positioned within the breaker compartment 10, which is formed by the wall 11 and cover 12.

Within the breaker compartment 10 and secured in spaced relation on plate 11 are positioned the breakers 13, one of which is provided for each of the cylinders of the engine with which the device is to be employed 2,815,394 Patented Dec. 3, 1957 and while in Fig. 2 only two of these breakers are shown, other breakers to be mounted at the positions indicated by the numeral 14 but these have been omitted in order to simplify the drawing and because they would merely be a repetition of the breakers 13 shown.

The breaker supporting plate 11 is pivotally adjustable by means of the slots 15 through which extend the bolts 16 and the plate is locked in adjusted position by said bolts or screws 16.

Secured on plate 11 in alignment with the opening for the shaft extension 8 is the guide member 26 which is retained in position by screws 27, and said guide member 26 is provided with a slot for each breaker 13 and in the respective slots are positioned the pusher plates or members 28 which are mounted for sliding movement in said slots upon actuation by cam 9. The pusher plates or members 28 engage cam 9 at the inner end and at the outer ends engage the pivotal contact support 29 of breaker 13 and, consequently, when the adjacent end of pusher member 28 engages lobe 30 of cam 9, the spring actuated contact arm 29 of breaker 13 is allowed to pivot to such position that the contacts 21 and 22 of the breaker may close and when the pusher member 28 is engaged by the periphery of the cam other than lobe 30, said pusher 28 rides on the cam and opens the contacts 21 and 22. This mechanism operates the breakers successively upon the rotation of cam 9.

Pivotally mounted on the surface of guide plate 26 is the lifting cam plate 17 which is retained thereon by means of spring retaining ring 31 and which is pivotally adjustable within the limits provided by guide slots 32 in each of which is positioned a stationary stop pin 33.

The crank arm 18 is connected to said plate 17 by means of the pins 34 which are secured to said lifting plate 17 and crank arm 18 at their opposite ends.

The lifting cam plate 17 is provided on its periphery with the cam lobes 35, one of which is provided for each of the breakers 13 and the periphery of said cam plate 17 is adapted to engage the inner surface of extension 36 or head on the pusher plate or member 28, whereby said pusher plate or member 28 will ride on the periphery of said lifting plate 17 when the plate is pivoted through pivotal movement of crank lever 18, and pins 34 which as stated above are connected to lifting plate 17 and adapted to move or adjust said plate pivotally to a position whereby the earns 35 actuate pusher plates 28 to pivot the breaker arm 29 to open the contacts 21 and 22, as shown in Fig. 2, or when lifting plate 17 is moved to such position that the low points 36 on plate 17 are aligned with the head 36a on pusher member 28, the reciprocation of pusher member 28 is effected through cam lobe 30 and breaker actuating spring.

With the present construction, it will be noted that when the ignition generator is employed with the breakers that the device operates as a conventional magneto, but that when the breakers have been retracted to inoperative posit-ion, the generator operates without the breakers. Thus, the breakers are used only during cranking and starting of the engine. As soon as the engine is up to speed, the breakers are all lifted simultaneously out of engagement with the cam 9 by means of a multiple lobe lifting cam plate 17 which is placed concentrically with respect to shaft extension 8 and cam 9, and adjacent to the one lobe cam 9 both cams engaging the same rubbing blocks which actuate the breaker arms. The lifting cam plate 17 may be manually or automatically controlled and rotated through an angle of approximately 25 degrees by means of a crank arm 18 located in the center of the breaker compartment cover plate 12 and accessible from the outside by means of lever 19 through shaft 20 to which lever 19 is connected. The crank arm 18 may, therefore, be operated directly by the operator or through a BoWden wire connection or automatically by means of automatic retraction spring 23 which is connected at one end to stud 24 on crank arm 18 and at its other end to stud 25 on cover 12.

The crank arm may be manually or automatically held in such position during the starting or cranking speeds of the engine, that the generator employs the breakers 13 and operates as a conventional magneto and the crank arm 18 is heavily spring loaded by spring 23, so that at engine speeds above cranking speeds it automatically returns the lifting cam 17 to the running position of the engine, namely that in which all breakers and rubbing blocks are out of engagement with the rotating cam and with all contact points 21 and 22 separated. The machine from there on until the engine is shut down, operates as a true breakerless pulse generator with inherent long life of all its component parts.

From the foregoing, it will be seen that I have provided simple, efficient and economical means for ohtaining all of the objects and advantages of the invention.

Iclaim:

1. In a device of the character described, a shaft, a cam on said shaft and rotatable therewith, a breaker for each engine cylinder, said breakers being positioned around said shaft, a pusher member for each of said breakers, said pushers being adapted to actuate each of said breakers successively upon rotation of said shaft and cam, a pivotable plate mounted for pivotal movement relative to said shaft, said plate having an engaging portion for each of said breakers and means for pivoting said plate to adjust said breakers to inoperative position.

2. In a device of the character described, a shaft, a cam on said shaft and rotatable therewith, a breaker for each engine cylinder, said breakers being positioned around said shaft, a pusher member for each of said breakers, said pushers being adapted to actuate each of said breakers successively upon rotation of said shaft and cam, a pivotable plate mounted for pivotal movement relative to said shaft, said plate having a cam surface for each of said breakers and means for pivoting said plate to adjust said breakers to inoperative position.

3. In a device of the character described, a shaft, a cam on said shaft and rotatable therewith, a breaker for each engine cylinder, said breakers being positioned around said shaft, a pusher member for each of said breakers, said pushers being adapted to actuate each of said breakers successively upon rotation of said shaft and cam, a pivotable cam plate mounted for pivotal movement relative to said shaft, said cam plate having an engaging portion for each of said breakers and means for pivoting said cam plate to adjust said breakers to inoperative position, each of said pusher members having a portion extending between one of said breakers and its respective engaging portion of said plate.

4. 'In a device of the character described, a shaft, a cam on said shaft and rotatable therewith, a breaker for each engine cylinder, said breakers being positioned around said shaft, a pusher member for each of said breakers, said pushers being adapted to actuate each of said breakers successively upon rotation of said shaft and cam, a pivotable cam plate mounted for pivotal movement relative to said shaft, said cam plate having a cam surface for each of said breakers and means for pivoting said cam plate to adjust said breakers to inoperative position, each of said pusher members having a portion extending between one of said breakers and its respective cam surface of said plate.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 495,179 Carty Apr. 11, 1893 1,273,044 Diehl July 16, 1918 1,731,392 Oglesby Oct. 15, 1929 1,886,566 Mallory Nov. 8, 1932 1,899,965 Irgens Mar. 7, 1933 2,205,074 Van Damme June 18. 194-0 2,382,808 Ochsenbein Aug. 14, 1945 

